Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 12:01:06 -0400 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Reply-To: Darrell128@aol.com Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 98083: PCA Overtakes CRC to Become America's Largest Evangelical Reformed Body NR #1998-081: Presbyterian Church in America Overtakes Christian Reformed to Become America's Largest Evangelical Reformed Body For the first time in at least half a century, the Christian Reformed Church is no longer America's largest evangelical Reformed denomination. According to 1998 official statistics, the Presbyterian Church in America has reached a total of 283,381 members compared to the CRC's total of 279,029. The CRC has lost almost twelve percent of its members over the last six years, largely due to controversies surrounding the CRC's decision to allow the ordination of women and conflicts on other matters such as theistic evolution. During the same period, PCA membership has increased over 22 percent. For years, the Christian Reformed Church has provided leadership in a wide range of areas to the Reformed faith in North America. As the only sizable Reformed or Presbyterian denomination founded before the turn of the century that remained theologically conservative, the CRC was instrumental in assisting many of the smaller Presbyterian denominations which seceded from the mainline Presbyterian denominations over the past century. Particularly well-known for its system of Christian day schools and colleges, the CRC's reputation has been determined as much by its theological and academic leadership as by its Dutch ethnicity and large size. NR #1998-081: For Immediate Release: Presbyterian Church in America Overtakes Christian Reformed to Become America's Largest Evangelical Reformed Body by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (August 26, 1998) URNS - For the first time in at least half a century, the Christian Reformed Church is no longer America's largest evangelical Reformed denomination. According to 1998 official statistics, the Presbyterian Church in America has reached a total of 283,381 members compared to the CRC's total of 279,029. The CRC has lost almost twelve percent of its members over the last six years, largely due to controversies surrounding the CRC's decision to allow the ordination of women and conflicts on other matters such as theistic evolution. During the same period, PCA membership has increased over 22 percent. Both denominations are members of the National Association of Evangelicals and each is over four times the size of the third-largest Reformed member of the NAE, the 59,951-member Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Each is smaller than the two large mainline Reformed denominations, the 310,648-member Reformed Church in America and the 2.6-million member Presbyterian Church (USA), neither of which are NAE members, though both have large evangelical wings. RCA evangelicals are not formally organized, but approximately four thousand of the PC(USA)'s 11,295 churches have signed a "Witness for Biblical Morality" affirming evangelical positions on issues related to homosexuality and the Presbyterian Layman, an unofficial conservative paper, counts a circulation of 600,000. For years, the Christian Reformed Church has provided leadership in a wide range of areas to the Reformed faith in North America. As the only sizable Reformed or Presbyterian denomination founded before the turn of the century that remained theologically conservative, the CRC was instrumental in assisting many of the smaller Presbyterian denominations which seceded from the mainline Presbyterian denominations over the past century. Particularly well-known for its system of Christian day schools and colleges, the CRC's reputation has been determined as much by its theological and academic leadership as by its Dutch ethnicity and large size. In earlier years the CRC was closely involved in assisting conservatives in the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA) as they organized Westminster Theological Seminary in 1929 and later the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936, providing key early faculty members for Westminster and a large part of its funding. Later on, the CRC established ties with other conservative Presbyterian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in America after conservative southern Presbyterians seceded from the Presbyterian Church (US) in 1973. Unlike most of the newer conservative Presbyterian denominations, the PCA grew very rapidly. Beginning with approximately 30,000 members, the denomination's General Assembly in June of this year reported a membership of 283,381 members in 1171 churches. The Christian Reformed Church's 1998 yearbook reports a membership of 279,029 members in 972 churches and mission works, down from a high of 316,415 members and 981 churches in 1992. While the CRC has lost 37,386 members totaling 11.8% of its membership in the last six years, the PCA has experienced dramatic growth during the same period, adding 51,809 members for a 22.3% growth since its 1992 report of 231,572 members. Reporting dates for the PCA and CRC differ slightly but do not substantially impede statistical comparisons. PCA numbers are reported at the annual General Assembly which generally meets in June or July and reflect a December 31 cutoff date from the previous year. CRC statistics are reported in the annual yearbook which generally appears in early spring and reflect statistics submitted in late fall of the previous year. Dr. Paul Gilchrist, retiring PCA stated clerk and member of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, noted that early PCA growth was largely through secessions from the Presbyterian Church (US), the southern Presbyterian denomination from which the PCA seceded in 1973 and which merged with the northern Presbyterians in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (USA) and from 1983 to 1990 allowed churches to leave with their property. "About 110 to 120 churches did come in during that period of time," said Gilchrist. "We have had two or three interesting PC(USA) congregations come with their property more recently, permitted by their presbyteries." However, Gilchrist said recent PCA growth was largely through church planting and local congregational outreach rather than by transfers of entire churches from other denominations. PC(USA) ministers are now required to agree with the ordination of women, which the PCA opposes and led to the denomination breaking ties with the CRC. "Women in office is why [withdrawing PC(USA) churches] are often more comfortable in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church," said Gilchrist. "ASARB has generally reported the PCA as one of the nation's most rapidly growing denominations," said Gilchrist. "Practically all the mainline denominations are losing membership; the positive picture that some of them have given such as the RCA and the PC(USA) is that their rapid decline is slowing down and they're hoping that is a turnaround, but there is no evidence yet of a turnaround." Gilchrist noted that the PCA has increased its number of mission churches by 30% since 1993 and currently has 185 congregations in various stages of church planting. "The picture I have for the last ten or more years is an aggressive church planting program on the part of the Mission to North America committee; most of the growth since that time has been the aggressive planting of churches with basic evangelism, going out to people who are unchurched and starting basically from scratch," said Gilchrist. "Not all of those mission churches will become particular churches; in some cases they will peter out, not many will, but a handful will become church and decide as they develop they don't want to become PCA." Another key to PCA growth cited by Gilchrist is the work of Reformed University Ministries, a campus evangelism program currently working with US students at 38 universities and international students at five US universities. Gilchrist also noted that the PCA's foreign mission program is one of the largest in American evangelicalism, counting 523 full-time career missionaries sent out by the PCA to between 60 and 65 countries and an additional 680 full-time PCA missionaries sent out under other mission boards with the support of local PCA churches. Gilchrist said PCA growth came less from attention to church planting methods than to implementation of Reformed principles. "If there is any credit it has to go to the Lord, the Holy Spirit empowering our churches to present the gospel in a gracious and loving way," said Gilchrist. "Some people water down the gospel in order to get people to accept the Lord. We're not willing to do that." "One of the things we were celebrating in our 25th anniversary in St. Louis is we are totally committed to be true to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission," said Gilchrist. "I think the Lord has prospered us as we seek to serve him." Unlike the CRC, whose membership is largely of Dutch ethnic background and centered in Dutch ethnic communities and other areas with large Dutch immigrations, Gilchrist said that three-quarters of the PCA's membership is in the southeast quadrant of the United States. While the PCA has over 150 ethnic Korean churches and is actively expanding in the western states and among other ethnic groups, the PCA membership is still centered in the states where the former southern Presbyterian denomination from which it seceded was strongest. While some CRC groups and ministers have joined the PCA, CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard said he thought the lack of geographical overlap between the centers of the PCA and CRC made such transfers less common that might have been expected. "We're not where they are and they're not where we are, except that in a few places in Iowa they have a presence where we have churches," said Engelhard. "I don't hear of large numbers of people leaving the CRC to join the PCA." "I think the difference between the Reformed tradition and the Presbyterian tradition, while very close and somewhat compatible, has made some differences over the years," said Engelhard. "If they were going to go to the more conservative Presbyterian church, because of the close ties between the CRC and Orthodox Presbyterian Church over the years, they might more logically go to the OPC." Engelhard noted that the CRC's contribution to the evangelical world has been strongest in academic circles, particularly systematic theology and philosophy. "The contribution, such as it is, of the Christian Reformed Church has been made most strongly through the Christian school movement," said Engelhard. "The fact that a church of our size has given birth to six different colleges spread around is most remarkable, and not having done it at the expense of outreach at home or internationally." While not pleased by the CRC's membership drop, Engelhard said he didn't necessarily mind his denomination being relegated to second-place in membership. "Certainly one would want to say that if the [PCA] growth is from the planting of churches and the preaching of the Gospel and the church of Christ being gathered in, this is something to rejoice over when the numbers increase," said Engelhard. "I don't think we're going to experience any great shame in being second place. We just regret that the relationship between the PCA and CRC has been fractured and would wish that somewhere down the line we would be able to work together cooperatively and perhaps restore that relationship." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1993-015: Massive Membership Decline Wipes Out Three Years of Christian Reformed Growth; Largest Decline in CRC History Knocks Denomination Back to 1989 Levels; CRC Yearbook Undercounts Loss By 4500 members #1994-006: 1994 CRC Yearbook Reports Loss of 11,000 Members, Ten Years of Growth Wiped Out; 3.5% drop from 311,202 to 300,320 members unprecedented in CRC history; Accelerating denominational loss totals 16,095 or 5.1% since 1992; CRC yearbook claims drop from 311,202 to 300,320 equals decline of 783 #1995-016 Continuing Christian Reformed Hemorrhage Costs CRC 22,000 Members in Three Years; Unprecedented Loss Tops Seven Percent of Pre-1993 Membership, Knocks Denomination Back Fifteen Years to 1980 Membership Levels #1995-080: Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly Unanimously Warns CRC to "Repent and Rescind" Women in Office Decision #1996-019: Christian Reformed Decline Reaches 7.7% of Denomination; Fourth Consecutive Year of Decline Costs CRC Over 24,600 Members, Drops Denomination Back to 1979 Levels #1997-020: Christian Reformed Membership Loss Speeds Up: 30,551 Members Lost in Five Year Slide #1997-066: Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly Cuts Ties with Christian Reformed Church Over Women's Ordination #1998-013: Christian Reformed Denomination Records Second-Worst Membership Drop in History Contact List: Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcna.org Dr. Paul Gilchrist, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America 1852 Century Place, Suite 190, Atlanta GA 30345 O: (404) 320-3366 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive98: nr98-081.txt .